Whalar is pleased to announce the recent hire of Olivia Stephens, who will be heading Whalar’s latest vertical (also referred to as a pod) out of their London offices. As Associate Director of Tech, Telco and Automotive, Stephens’s experience will be pivotal for driving business in within new spaces.

‘For me, it was a natural next step - coming from a company that had a similar ethos and approach, but with a different focus. The aesthetic at Whalar is of incredibly high quality - it almost has its own brand identity so our clients can be assured of what their outputs will look like. It’s also great to be somewhere where technology is used as a way to truly enhance and scale the business. Our decisions are backed by data and insight, our campaigns are fully trackable and our proprietary tech allows us to credibility check all of the talent with work with.

We’ve got a real opportunity to really shape the integrity of influencer/content marketing at scale. Transparency in a market is crucial when there are huge questions hanging over credibility and ROI - I believe Whalar is at the forefront of this conversation and in a great position to lead thought and education in the space.

Day to day, I will be building and maintaining client relationships across EMEA while growing the team around Whalar’s latest vertical. A slight focus on commercial - I will be working closely with our offices in Amsterdam and Germany to really drill down into this category.

Increasingly, Auto clients are wanting to tell a different story. Their narrative is more around innovation, being eco/sustainable - it’s less about moving product and more about starting a conversation with buyers of the future - which will be fascinating to explore.

Stephens comes to Whalar with nearly a decade of experience within the influencer and creator space. Previously of Talenthouse, more recent roles also include Director of Community at Talent at Latimer and working alongside brands such as Samsung, BBCThree, eBay and VOXI by Vodafone. Now specialising in co-creation, Stephens’s applied methodology has led to accolades such as a Cannes Lion Award for an Influencer Campaign with ActionAid. Stephens’s vibrant and expert cultural insight will effectively translate into her new responsibilities at Whalar.

For more information, please contact Will Rix at will.rix@whalar.com or visit the Whalar website at www.whalar.com.